Sunday, January 31, 2010

Two Posts in One Day!

stay tuned for more. I've injured my shoulder and am down for the count today!

This is the best dinner ever. And I don't think it has anything to do with the fact that I didn't eat it until 8 pm after a full day, 30 minute workout and 11 points up to that moment!

Tortellini Soup (serves 4)

3-4 cups chicken stock (I dug into my freezer supply)
1 bag dry tortellini to yield about 4 cups cooked
kale
roasted garlic (I roasted a bunch of veggies this past weekend and this was from that stash)
1 t oil

Heat oil and add in garlic. Smoosh the garlic around so it breaks up. Tear kale off thick stems and add to oil.

Cook the tortellini and drain.

While the tortellini is cooking, add chicken stock to kale and let simmer.

When tortellini is ready, ladle 1 cup into bowl and top with kale/stock. Top with good quality parmesan if you wish (for 1 more point).

This yields a huge bowl of satisfying soup for 5-6 points!

Greek Chicken and Pasta

This is a great company meal. Very easy to make (in fact Seth did most of it as I have done something unfortunate to my shoulder) and sooooo tasty. We had it with Maya's Cheese Triangles which she made with only a little help from my mom!

Greek Chicken and Pasta

5 boneless skinless chicken thighs - cubed
1 large onion - diced
1 clove garlic or garlic powder
1 T olive oil
1 container grape tomatoes
1 can artichoke hearts - cut up
1/2 - 3/4 cup roasted red peppers (I used jarred ones)
1/2 cup white wine or chicken stock
juice of one lemon
1/2 chunk feta cheese
oregano
black pepper
1 box pasta (I used rigatoni - prepared al dente)

Saute onions in oil with garlic. Add in chicken and brown well. Deglaze with lemon juice and wine. Add in other ingredients except pasta and cheese, simmer over low heat until chicken is done and you are ready to eat. This is why I recommend chicken thights instead of breasts - they will not dry out like breasts do.

When ready - put in serving bowl and top with cheese. Serve with pasta.

Tasty with the cheese triangles! A romaine salad would be nice and some crusty bread. (we did not have these - but it sounds good!)

7-8 pts/serving - serves 6 (you will have leftover pasta)

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

So..........

so.... sigh.... you should have seen this coming.....

Weight Watchers.

I did Weight Watchers about 6 years ago with lots of success. Unfortunately, I am back again. One of the things I love about WW is eating real food and still being able to cook.

So - here was dinner last night and lunch today. It was frankly better today at lunch - next time I will TRY to make the teriyaki sauce a day ahead.

Chicken Teriyaki with Rice and Veggies

Sauce:
½ t canola oil
1 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 T rice wine vinegar
1-2 crushed cloves of garlic
1 t crushed ginger
couple shakes hot pepper flakes
3 T brown sugar
1 T honey
1/4 cup water
2 T corn starch

Heat oil and add in garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Add in everything else except 1/4 cup water and corn starch. Let simmer while you cook the chicken and veggies.

20 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 bag "stir fry" veggies - frozen (make sure to get them with NO noodles)
1 onion
1 t canola

Slice onion and brown in oil. Add in chicken and get a nice sear on both sides. Add in some water or stock if it seems dry. When chicken is almost cooked - add in veggies and cook until they are hot and the chicken is done. Add about 1/4 cup of the sauce and heat through.

Serve with rice. I would have made brown rice but everyone refuses to eat it but me. So I suck it up and eat white. I made 1 ½ cups of uncooked rice. Not sure how much that ended up being when it was cooked

This a was a GREAT dinner, very filling and satisfying. I managed to get it on the table well before I had to leave at 6:30 for PTA. Did I wish I had fresh veggies? Yes - but it's January and a weeknight.

Three of us ate dinner from this and I was able to make three nice 8 point lunches with the leftovers. It was even better today at lunch. Sometimes i make the mistake of not eating enough at lunch - but this was perfect. Very filling and I think it would have been fine too with a little less rice. This was SO easy and beats those frozen dinners with a stick!